Rob Winn Anderson, directing the slow-building but ultimately satisfying production from Beth Marshall Presents, lets his cast of young soldiers bathe in the glow of good old days that really weren't as good as we'd like to think.

So we in the audience chuckle as young Eugene (Carl Krickmire) sums up his introduction to Army life by breezily declaring "I hated everyone" or tries to weasel out of an impossible situation at boot camp with a plaintive "It's only my first day."

It all feels divorced from reality, thanks in no small part to Simon's bare-bones characterizations of the recruits. Carney likes to sing, Selridge is a lunkhead, Wykowski is a bigot.

But it is funny in Simon's good-natured jokey way. And Krickmire pitches his performance perfectly between naivete and determination. When his Eugene addresses the audience directly, as is Simon's narrative conceit, you can't help but be buoyed by his optimism and charm.

The two more complicated characters are the raging sergeant (Tyler Cravens) and Private Epstein (C.K. Anderson), a young recruit who refuses to fall in line. The more Cravens bellows, the more calm Anderson becomes. With quiet, deliberate speech and a strong, placid gaze he faces down Cravens, red-faced and fists clenched. It creates a fascinating dichotomy.

The plot doesn't really pick up until the second act. Eugene's bunkmates read his journal and learn what he really thinks about them, a gay scandal engulfs the platoon, and lo and behold, Eugene meets a gal at the USO dance.

Simon slips in thoughtful moments among the comedy — Eugene's guilt at not defending Epstein, a fellow Jew, and Eugene's realization of the power of what he writes.

Director Anderson keeps a light touch through such moments but their effect is cumulative, and suddenly you realize you care about this band of misfits. True, there is always going to be poignancy in sending young men off to war, but "Biloxi Blues" wraps up with more emotional resonance than you might expect .